Enchanted
by maleficdragon
Summary: When a witch (Lucinda) moves to town & meets Facilier, she dreams of her destiny to become through his guidance a renowned spirit medium. She learns Facilier’s oldest daughter longs to sing, & Lucy knows just the restaurant owners who could make that happen — if Naveen can learn to forgive & give Freddie a chance. Meanwhile, Charlotte asks for a love potion. What could go wrong?


In 1915 the Dryades Branch of the New Orleans Public Library was established for African American citizens. Andrew Carnegie, a businessman well known for funding public libraries across the country, gave $25,000 dollars for the construction.

Years later this library had become a great comfort to Celia Facilier. While her sister Freddie preferred finding mischief alongside CJ Hook and leaving destruction in their wake whether it was on the streets, the seas, or around Louisiana's international port, Celia would rather find herself immersed in the pages around her and dreaming of writing her own stories.

Thousands of books! And Celia bet she could get them all read. When her daddy had told her the black civic leader, James Madison Vance, expressed at the opening of the library back in 1915 that while he appreciated the gift of the land New Orleans had given for this, he regretted there were not more books on the shelves written by people of color, Celia was adamantly passionate in promising she'd be on those shelves some day.

Math didn't come to her as easily as reading and writing. Her daddy wasn't much help unless it involved money, but she kept in her purse the charms he'd made her. When they both were frustrated he would just tell her to pray. She wished math was that easy.

She also wished Freddie were around more. She could figure out anything, if she tried. But Celia at least had found help in the library; the librarian worked with her every day after school for two weeks now.

"I think you've got it!" Miss Lucinda exclaimed, and Celia grinned, savoring the feeling of a math problem's pattern clicking. Finally.

It was almost time for a shift change; Lucinda grabbed her purse as she finished shelving some books. When a shadow was cast onto the floor near her she turned around — but the man who had stepped in was too far away for his shadow to be so close. She glanced back to it, but where it had been was nothing.

She returned to her books, and a moment later she heard behind her, "You lost?"

She spun around, looking now to that man instead of the shadow she was certain she had seen. "Oh, no, Sir, I'm filling in for Miss LaToya while she's out; I typically work at the Main Library."

He stepped closer, and Lucinda nervously smiled as the lighting in the library seemed to... dim? In his presence? The closer he approached the more it seemed the light was being swallowed away, and smoke blurred her vision.

The fog was subtle yet inescapable, and too quickly the fear gave way to intrigue. The energy about him was fascinating. Mystical.

Sexy.

"You the librarian that's been helpin Celia?"

"Yes, she's brilliant. That math gets the best of everyone, but she's working real hard and doing great."

Celia spoke up from the table she was at, gathering her books together and standing, "Daddy, you're makin Lucinda nervous."

Lucinda laughed, taking a step back, "No, I'm not," and bumping into a bookshelf footstool. She dropped her purse and out spilt 78 cards. Lucy sighed and set her purse on a shelf, beginning to kneel down to collect the deck when Facilier asked, "May I?"

She looked back up to him, slowly nodding. The gesture was a simple one — but they both knew they wouldn't want someone else grabbing at their cards without asking. Lucy smiled softly, watching as he carefully began picking up her cards.

Most had fallen facedown, but three had fallen upwards. Ace of Cups, Two of Cups, the Magician. "Looks like I ought to watch out for a handsome, powerful stranger." she said, and Facilier smirked to her as he pressed the deck into her hand.

She thanked him and began to wrap the deck in velvet when she paused, noticing a business card he'd shuffled into it. Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium. Her heart beat faster; the way he'd respectfully handled her cards would remain on her mind all week. Those eyes, that smirk...

"See you around, Miss Lucinda. Celia! _Ma petite,_ ya ready?"

"Yep! Bye Miss Lucinda! We're gettin groceries!"

And so, after Celia hugged her daddy, the two were off to the market and to go home. It was strange, Lucy thought as she gazed upon the business card, to imagine a witch doctor doing mundane things like shopping.

That night gave Lucinda the most vivid dream she had ever had. Herself as the witch she had always longed to be. Without any guidance it had felt so out of reach, but in this vision she saw herself dressed in black silk, shimmering green embellishments... an extravagant, old fashioned Worth gown, circa 1880. Beautiful. Powerful. Her black hair was longer and her pale skin was an intensely dramatic contrast to it all, from that beautiful dress to her lipstick and her eyeliner.

In the dream she caught glimpses of newspaper advertisements for her seances. She was famous. She was beloved. Everyone wanted to witness her as their spirit medium, and it felt amazing.

And then there was Dr. Facilier, lighting candles and burning herbs. His hands on hers as the shadows shifted.

She woke too soon, sweat in her hair and desire in her heart. It felt right — and for the first time in her life, a man felt right too.

—-

Charlotte LaBouff was the first friend she had made since moving to New Orleans. She was loud and animated, the star of any room. So it had come as some surprise to Lucinda that Charlotte had ever said a thing to her. Before she knew it Charlotte had talked to her for hours in the department store, although about what exactly, Lucy didn't always know. Still, she smiled, following Charlotte to the next store and beginning to open up.

"I've only been here a couple months. I'm from Little Rock. No, I haven't been to Tiana's Place. What do you like there?" Lucy asked. Charlotte stopped in her tracks, squealing, "Oh, goodness, EVERYTHANG! I'll take ya soon!"

"I would like that. Hey, have you ever been to one of those voodoo shops?" Lucy finally asked.

"Not in a long time. When I was thirteen I went in one on a dare for Halloween — it was pretty spooky! But I ain't scared a'NOTHIN!" Charlotte exclaimed, hands on her hips.

"Yeah? Maybe you could help me find one, one called Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know that one, but I'll ask around for ya." Charlotte told her. "Hey there Georgia!" she exclaimed, waving to a shop employee and rushing over to her. "You know a Voodoo Emporium — Dr. What was it?"

"Facilier." Lucy supplemented, and Georgia noticably cringed.

"Yeah, he's... somethin. Really mixed reviews there. My brother had a good reading, but my friend Maggie wasn't as lucky. She got what she wanted, but she lost just as much. Spells can be tricky, and he's a tricky one." Georgia said.

Lucy brandished the business card, and looking over the address, Georgia explained the easiest way to get there.

"Facilier... I feel like that ought to be a familiar name... I've heard it before or somethin, but I don't know..." Charlotte pondered. "Oh well! Say! Georgia, when ya gettin off?"

"Just anotha twenty minutes."

"Wha'dya say we all go t'Tiana's!" Charlotte exclaimed.

—-

As they waited to be seated, Lucy took in the fashionable glam of the place. Not only was it beautiful and elegant, but it also was noticeably desegregated, and Tiana greeted Lottie with a big hug.

Charlotte had so much on her mind to talk about that she forgot she had intended to ask about the Facilier fellow. Instead she introduced Lucy to Tiana as she opened a menu. "Tiana this is Lucinda. I'm showin her around town!"

"Pleasure t'meet ya Lucinda, I'm Tia. It's good t'have ya! What can I start ya'll off with?" Tiana asked once she found them a table.

"Beignets!" Lottie exclaimed, as Georgia said, "Crab cakes!"

"Comin right up, girls. And to drink?" Tiana asked, nodding as the three requested sweet tea.

Someone else became their server, but Tiana did stop by again later after the server brought their entrees.

"I've been wondering something." Lucy said and gestured to a table off in a corner. "What's with that table? It's been deserted since we got here, but no one's been seated there."

"It's reserved for someone I made a deal with. A man to whom I owe this place..." Tiana explained as Charlotte (who always believed that table must be in honor of Tia's father) stuffed her face with fried shrimp and Georgia added pepper sauce to her turnip greens, "Back when I worked at Cafe Duke, he was a regular, and my very best tipper. He believed in my dream, when not many othas did..." She smiled softly, but there was a touch of sadness in her eyes. "We made an agreement. He'd tip me a dollar for every coffee and every butter-town pastry, and when I opened up my restaurant he'd have a pastry at any meal, free of charge."

When Tiana had left to talk to another table, Georgia remarked, "I never seen anyone... at that table, in all the times I been here." She glanced to that lonely table in the shadows, shaking her head at the cup of coffee over there, then she returned her attention to her gumbo.

It sounded strange, Lucinda thought, taking another bite of her salad and a perfectly crispy piece of fried okra.

—-

Tiana thought of Dr. Facilier every day, but she had never been able to tell Naveen she had known him long before the frog incident. It was just easier not to talk about him.

She hadn't want to believe it. She knew the rumours and the warnings, but Dr. Facilier had never been anything but kind to her. Naveen would never understand — he hated him, completely. It would be Tiana's burden alone to bear, always wondering if Facilier had really been a bad man or just a man who had made desperate, bad choices.

Every morning those years ago he'd sip his coffee, read the paper, and chat with Tiana. That first day back after the Mardi Gras fiasco was the worst. It was surreal and wrong that he wouldn't be stepping into the cafe, headed to his usual table. He wouldn't mention thinking about ordering something different, only to settle back onto the usual. He wouldn't laugh at her little remarks as she danced from table to table, adding to the assortment of conversations around them as she poured coffee and cleared the plates.

{ I have to give a referral shout out to the fanfic on Ao3 titled Cafe Duke, for the part about Facilier's table in the restaurant! Isn't it great? It fits so well into my story.

After watching Descendants 3 I had to watch Princess and the Frog for the millionth time, and then the next day I discovered the Freddie Descendants book! Awesome! Stay tuned for voodoo and for Tiana working on getting Naveen to learn forgiveness — and to give Freddie Facilier the chance to sing in their restaurant, once Lucinda tells Tiana about her in the future.}


End file.
